What in the Sam Hell is this b******* from the UK College of Policing? Where do they get the foundation? Taxpayers may not be pleased.

Firstly, shut up Doubtful News. Seriously.

This is not the College of Policing saying that psychics are real or that psychic insight is a valid form of investigation to be used in missing persons cases. They’re actually just holding a consultation about investigation practices in missing persons cases to make sure they are doing the right things with their resources. It runs until October. As a UK tax payer I am pleased that such consultations happen. http://hayleyisaghost.co.uk/police-pscychics-freak-out/

Extract from the Consultation regarding the guidelines on using psychics in police investigations:

Psychics

High-profile missing person investigations nearly always attract the interest of psychics and others, such as witches and clairvoyants, stating that they possess extrasensory perception. Any information received from psychics should be evaluated in the context of the case, and should never become a distraction to the overall investigation and search strategy unless it can be verified. These contacts usually come from well-intentioned people, but the motive of the individual should always be ascertained, especially where financial gain is included. The person’s methods should be asked for, including the circumstances in which they received the information and any accredited successes.

mac wrote:are there many documented cases where a sensitive revealed significant information about a crime?

Properly documented evidence is not too readily available to the public in general - for various reasons.According to Charles Hensley, recently retired captain of the Billings, Montana Police Department, many law enforcement agencies across the nation consult clairvoyants whether they admit it or not. "Most do not admit it," he said, because "if the public or press found out, they’d think we were nuts." Until Hensley retired he also refused to talk about the department’s use of mystics. "Everyone says don’t tell anybody we’re using a clairvoyant. They’ll think we’re crazy."

John Douglas, a retired FBI Criminal Profiler is quoted as saying, "Psychics can, on occasion, be helpful to a criminal investigation. I've seen it work. Some of them have the ability to focus subconsciously on particular subtle details at a scene and draw logical conclusions from them, just as I try to do and train my people to do. But I always advise investigators that a psychic should be a last resort as an investigative tool, and if you're going to use one, don't expose him or her to officers or detectives who know the details of the case. Because good psychics are proficient at picking up small, non-verbal clues, and the psychic could amaze you and establish credibility by giving back to you facts of the case you already know without necessarily having any particular insight into what you don't know but want to find out."

Scotland Yard confirms they have consulted a psychic in the past to help them with an investigation and the National Crime and Operations Faculty confirms their database has certain individuals registered as available psychics.

On Freeview TV (channel 64,66 or 68) there is currently a series of programmes called "Physic Detectives" documenting real cases of murder and missing persons (in America) where psychics have assisted the police. OK, it's TV - but unlike the 'entertainment' type series we have seen in the past on our TVs, these programmes are based around and constructed on the testimonies and statements of the real individual police officers and departments concerned.

Over the years law enforcement has developed an arsenal of investigative tools that are used to aid a stalled investigation. But when detectives are out of time and out of luck, they sometimes actually enlist the help of a psychic, who can help fine-tune the gut instinct of a seasoned detective. Psychic Detectives re-visits the true stories of real cases, from the detective's point of view, where psychics have helped solve some of law enforcement's most baffling cases.

If the police are using psychics they must have had positive results or they wouldn't bother.

I wonder though why nothing was discovered eg in the Madeleine McCann case. Surely, given the number of proclaimed psychics, one of them could have come up with information to help in the investigation, and this is just one case.

A gentle whisper like the breeze sighing, so easy to miss, listen carefully...

Stardust wrote:If the police are using psychics they must have had positive results or they wouldn't bother.

I wonder though why nothing was discovered eg in the Madeleine McCann case. Surely, given the number of proclaimed psychics, one of them could have come up with information to help in the investigation, and this is just one case.

As with all methods of pursuing investigations, psychics are no more reliable. and maybe considerably less reliable, than conventional methods. Remember Marc Dutroux? At least one psychic tried to tell the kids' parents their children were alive when all along they'd been dead a long time..... Police likely treat psychics as potential help and nothing more. The correct way in my view.

Stardust wrote:Upsetting for the parents to be given vain hope like that.

I suppose the police have to follow up any lead, just in case.

To the best of my recall the parents didn't take any notice of the psychic(s) and that was a blessing. I don't recall, though, if the Belgian police took any notice either. It was a desperately sad case and hopelessly bungled by the police, I think. I wrote in PN at the time about the psychic element. I have little confidence in psychics as you can perhaps detect....

As far as the McCanns are concerned they took notice of psychics when it suited them. Will the real truth of what happened with Madeleine McCann ever come out? I dont think so. There is so much more than meets the eye with that case, we will never know for sure, but I think it was a case of a huge cover up.

In the nine years since Madeleine McCann went missing from a holiday apartment in Portugal, myriad theories about what happened to her have taken root, but only one fact remains uncontested: that she was reported missing at 10.14pm on the evening of Thursday, May 3, 2007.

It was at that point, when police were called, that the clock started ticking on the biggest missing persons investigation for decades, a search which remains very much active to this day.

I'd endorse the McCann's approach to psychism - take notice when it suits and ignore when it doesn't. Predictions about all manner of things will doubtless be found on the web, most wrong and most quickly forgotten as they ought to be.

How can anyone know there's so much more than meets the eye? That's conjecture, not fact. Claims of over up and/or conspiracy theory are two perfect tools for dealing with what hasn't been proven - anyone can claim anything unproven is being covered up.